Illustration
Photo credits and licenses
Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by Luca Fornasari / iNaturalist (CC BY), Photo by Luca Fornasari / iNaturalist (CC BY), Photo by Luca Fornasari / iNaturalist (CC BY) and Photo by Franck Cabot / iNaturalist (CC BY). How photos are sourced →
Canterbury Bells
Campanula medium
Canterbury Bells blooms from May through June.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Canterbury Bells
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–10. Expect it to reach about 2.5 ft tall and 1 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (not yet checked).
No toxicity note is on file for Canterbury Bells. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Canterbury Bells
Wait until all danger of frost has passed, then plant out Canterbury Bells into warm soil; in most zones that means late spring. Planted then, it flowers from May to June.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 7, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 7 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Canterbury Bells get?
2.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult1 ftwideSee Canterbury Bells in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Canterbury Bells
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Canterbury Bells about 1 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Canterbury Bells to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Canterbury Bells' height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 12 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Perennials.com (Heritage Perennials)Walters Gardens (Perennials.com)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Plants For A Futureheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- rainyside.comRainyside Gardenersheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- botanicalinterests.comBotanical Interests (Storybook Blend)height, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- edenbrothers.comEden Brothersheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- harlequinsgardens.comHarlequin's Gardens (Boulder, Colorado)height, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- rareseeds.comBaker Creek Heirloom Seeds (Rare Seeds)height, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- seedman.comSeedmanheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- strictlymedicinalseeds.comStrictly Medicinal Seedsheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- fleuroselect.comFleuroselect (awarded variety: Campanula medium 'Champion Blue')height, spread and sun
- University of Arkansas ExtensionUniversity of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Plant of the Weekheight and sun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 4 colors
Same plant, same care - pick the color you are growing.
Compare every color in the Canterbury Bells group
Every figure is the color's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Name | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | Blue | May–Jun | Zones 4–10 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1 ft |
| Canterburythis page | Purple | May–Jun | Zones 4–10 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1 ft |
| Lavender | Purple | May–Jun | Zones 4–10 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1 ft |
| Pink | Pink | May–Jun | Zones 4–10 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1 ft |
| White | White | May–Jun | Zones 4–10 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1 ft |
Good to know about Canterbury Bells
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
Its biggest limit is heat, not cold: it stalls and declines above about 80 F (27 C), so it thrives in cool-summer regions and struggles through hot southern summers. per NC State
Annual or biennial?
Sold as an annual, but the species is really biennial: it flowers year two, then dies. Only bred strains like 'Champion' bloom their first year. per NC State
Wet soil rots the crown
Wet, poorly drained soil rots the crown and roots, this plant's main killer, and drowns the low rosette over winter. Give sharp drainage and keep mulch off the crown. per CAES and Wisconsin
Deadhead, but leave some seed
Deadhead spent spikes for a smaller second flush, but leave some to set seed: as a biennial it dies after flowering, and self-sown seed is its only way to return. per NC State
Draws bees and butterflies
The broad, open bell flowers draw bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, and RHS lists it as a Plants-for-Pollinators selection. per NC State and RHS
Deer and rabbit resistant
Reported resistant to both deer and rabbits. per NC State
What pairs well with Canterbury Bells
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Sneezeweed
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
False Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Joe Pye Weed
Shares full sun and moderate to high water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Passionflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; climbs to 13 ft behind it, height without the footprint.
Love-Lies-Bleeding
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Eastern Redbud
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Moonflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; climbs to 13 ft behind it, height without the footprint; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Explore similar plants
You might also like
Foliage
Foliage
Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.